AppRemover 1.5

Removes leftover traces of failed security product uninstallations that can keep you from upgrading or installing a different product. Free.

Cons

Supported the uninstallation of only two-thirds of test products. Fully uninstalled just half of those; left several running. WMI-only support for some programs will confuse users.

Bottom Line

AppRemover aims to clean up traces of old security products that keep you from installing a new one. It doesn't support uninstallation of every product and doesn't successfully clean out all those it does support. Still, give it a try if you're vexed by "stuck" security. It's free, it's lightweight, and it couldn't hurt.

It happens all the time. You get fed up with your antivirus or security suite because it missed a virus, or it whacked your e-mail client, or it's just a bloated resource hog. You go to replace it and get a nasty surpriseyou can't, because the old product didn't uninstall properly. This can happen even with a simple upgrade. Argh! OPSWAT's free AppRemover 1.5 aims to end this frustration by clearing out all traces of old security software and making way for the new.

//Compare Similar Products

At present AppRemover handles 605 specific products and versions, and the list (found at http://www.appremover.com/supported.html) is growing. The utility requires no installation: You could run it from a USB key if desired, and it's a snap to use. Scan for supported products, check off those in the list of found products that need cleanup, and turn AppRemover loose on them. Done!

Sometimes you can't uninstall (or even turn off) the security software because you've lost the master password that permits that level of control. AppRemover claims it can help even in this situation for many products. That's rather impressive. I routinely attack security suites in ways that malware might, shutting down their essential services, killing their processes, and so on. Most suites successfully resist these attacks. In order to uninstall a security product without permission, AppRemover has to get past these defenses.

Degrees of Support

You do need to pay attention to the details in AppRemover's list of found products, because there are different degrees of support. Full support is best: It means AppRemover should be able to clean up all traces. WMI-only support is much more limited. WMI (Windows Management Instrumentation) is the interface that security software uses to keep the Windows Security Center informed of its status. Sometimes using a program's uninstaller can leave behind erroneous WMI information. For products with WMI-only support AppRemover can clean up that leftover WMI data. It can't, however, uninstall these products or even clean up most of their file and Registry traces. .

The only difference in AppRemover's display between a fully supported product and one with the limited WMI-only support is that "WMI" appears before the line identifying the vendor. That's a problem. I had no idea at first what the WMI meant, so I thought AppRemover was failing miserably in testing. OPSWAT needs to emphasize the distinction between full support and WMI-only support. If you do try to remove an installed application for which only WMI support is available, AppRemover will wipe out the WMI data without affecting the product. You'll immediately get a warning from Security Center that your system has no antivirus support. Fortunately, when you reboot the system, the still-running security product will restore its WMI data so that Windows knows it's still alive.

You'll also run into some programs that AppRemover recognizes but can't yet remove. The product list displays these apps, but grays them out and won't let you select them for removal. Finally, AppRemover may not see your particular "stuck" security program at all. In that case, you can click a button to report the issue to OPSWAT, including some nonpersonal system information that may help them resolve the problem.Next: Real-World Testing

PCMag may earn affiliate commissions from the shopping links included on this page. These commissions do not affect how we test, rate or review products. To find out more, read our complete terms of use.

Neil Rubenking served as vice president and president of the San Francisco PC User Group for three years when the IBM PC was brand new. He was present at the formation of the Association of Shareware Professionals, and served on its board of directors. In 1986, PC Magazine brought Neil on board to handle the torrent of Turbo Pascal tips submitted by readers. By 1990, he had become PC Magazine's technical editor, and a coast-to-coast telecommuter. His "User to User" column supplied readers with tips...
More »